The Hill of Swords! There are many unfathomable legends about it! It was rumored that in ancient times, Saint Leo descended onto the world, wielding a divine sword to suppress evil demons. Afterward, Saint Leo left, but his divine sword remained in the world, blessing all beneath the heavens. The divine sword was planted upside down into the earth, encased in iron and stone, standing over a thousand feet tall. Thus, the Hill of Swords was formed!
What’s more, some even claim that thirty miles west of the Hill of Swords, there lies an abyss so deep that its bottom can’t be seen. It is believed to be the scar left by Saint Leo’s sword when he pierced the earth, sealing all the demons deep within the ground where they remain even after thousands of years.
Three people can make a tiger (Chinese idiom meaning that repeating a lie often enough makes it seem true). So, how about these unverifiable tales and rumors? What is true, and what is false, who can really tell?
Believe it, and it exists; doubt it, and it’s non-existent!
However, the city of Swordland was built around the Hill of Swords. The citizens of the city have lived in the shadow of the Hill of Swords since their childhood. They believe in the legends of the Hill of Swords without any doubt. Or perhaps it’s more appropriate to say that Saint Leo has become their supreme faith, and any blasphemy is not tolerated.
When Sean and his party entered the territory of Swordland, it was already half-past eight in the evening. Two luxurious cars were making their way through the city. Sean was sitting in the back seat of one of the cars, with Cecilia, who was unconscious, in his left arm, and Phyllis, who was sound asleep, in his right. Through the car window, he could see crowds of people on the streets and decorations hanging along both sides. It was a lively scene, much like a festival.
“What’s going on?” Sean was puzzled.
“Boss, you might not know,” Spirit Wolf glanced back at him while driving and explained, “You must have heard some of the legends about the Hill of Swords, right?”
“Be more specific!”
“It seems we have come at just the right time!”
“Tomorrow, which is the 22nd of May, is the day of the ceremony for the Hill of Swords. The people of Swordland believe in the legend of Saint Leo. Therefore, they will celebrate continuously for three days and three nights starting from today…”
Spirit Wolf actually knew about this!
This was a bit surprising to Sean!
However,
“The day of the ceremony?” Sean didn’t ask how Spirit Wolf knew about this but instead asked, “Is there anything special about it?”
“Of course!” Spirit Wolf said, “Saint Leo is the god of faith for the nearby people. Almost every household worships and prays to him in hopes of receiving his protection, to ward off disasters, and to bless their offspring.”
“Moreover, aside from providing psychological comfort, the Hill of Swords also plays a very crucial role-that is, it activates the bloodlines of young people!”
“Or, it helps the practitioners of dark energy to increase their own strength!”
Hearing this, Sean was taken aback!
The Hill of Swords, looking like a giant sword, has such a miraculous effect?
Previously, Sean didn’t know much about the Hill of Swords and indeed hadn’t heard of such strange things!
“What exactly is it?” Sean’s curiosity was piqued, and he asked further, “How does it activate the bloodlines of young people? And how does it assist in cultivation?”
When it came to this, Sean suddenly thought of Julia!
Before he left, Julia said that in order not to become a burden to Sean and the others, she was also preparing to start martial arts training and walk the path of a martial artist. Her royal bloodline was naturally not a problem. The issue was that her bloodline had not yet been activated!
There is more than one way to activate a bloodline!
For example, Bernardo had sent Reid to Hilshire before to kidnap Phyllis. The Colored Glaze Holy Water that Phyllis was fed is one of the most common ways to activate a bloodline!
Another example: masters of poison arts like Lilies Archer, who has a poisonous bloodline, or Spirit Wolf, a ghost doctor with extraordinary medical skills, each have their unique methods to activate a bloodline!
However, using a mountain to activate a bloodline was something Sean had heard for the first time!
If it really works, perhaps Julia could give it a try!!!
“It seems the boss really doesn’t know!” Spirit Wolf glanced at Sean again and then laughed, “This is a long story!”
“The rumor goes that when Saint Leo left, he left his divine sword, which formed the Hill of Swords. The aura aroundthe Hill of Swords is majestic and has lasted for a thousand years, so people came from all over upon hearing the news. They built Swordland around the Hill of Swords and have lived here generation after generation. Benefiting from the aura that the Hill of Swords radiates, there is no lack of practitioners in Swordland. They all progress at an astonishing speed, dominating the world for a time!”
“Until… a thousand years later, the aura around the Hill of Swords gradually became thin, and its help for practitioners also weakened.”
“However, the people of Swordland weren’t willing to let their descendants return to mediocrity!”
“Therefore, their ancestors built a ladder on the Hill of Swords and used it to dig eighty-one caves around the Hill of Swords. They tried to intervene manually to make the Hill of Swords release its aura again!”
“But…”
“Heh heh, they didn’t achieve their desire. After a thousand years, the aura inside the Hill of Swords seemed to be almost exhausted. Even if they dug into the mountain to open a cave, they couldn’t release the aura!”
“But they didn’t gain nothing!”
“During the process of digging into the mountain to open caves, they found that the deeper they dug, the closer they got to the central area of the Hill of Swords, and the more abundant the aura in the cave became!”
“When they dug to a depth of thirty meters, the aura was no different from before. If they dug deeper, they would be injured by the aura!”
“So, they kept those eighty-one caves, and they were controlled by the major families of Swordland. Only their own children were allowed to enter the caves to practice!”
“As a result, a series of fights and killings occurred!”
“As time went on, they found that the aura at the thirty-meter depth of the cave was also becoming thinner like before. So, every few decades, they would dig a few meters deeper!”
“Now, those caves should be about a hundred meters deep. If they dig further, they might dig through the entire Hill of Swords, which would be like draining the pond to get all the fish!”
“Faced with this situation, the major families discussed it several times and finally unanimously decided to set the 22nd of May every year as the day of the ceremony. Only on this day would the eighty-one caves of the Hill of Swords be open. Each family has a corresponding quota. Only those who need to activate their bloodlines or those who are about to break through can enter…”
Spirit Wolf explained in detail.
After listening, Sean was shocked and enlightened. After hearing Spirit Wolf’s explanation, the rumors about the Hill of Swords didn’t seem so baseless. At least, the magical effect of the Hill of Swords had been confirmed by generations!
It seems that this Hill of Swords is indeed not simple!
Sean even wondered if Liane’s decision to live in the paradise beneath the Sunset Abyss had anything to do with the Hill of Swords. Was Liane’s powerful bloodline also related to the Hill of Swords?
This thought made Sean even more eager to explore the Hill of Swords!
So, Sean asked, “Only the major families of Swordland have quotas, and only their children can enter. What about outsiders? Can’t they enter?”